Resume

Education has always been a passion of mine. I love to learn, I love to experience new obstacles and solve problems. When I chose to go into education, I choose a career I knew that would challenge me into becoming a better person and help others experience the many things our world has to teach us. Over the last few years I have been able to experience working with students from birth to 21 varying in all degrees of exceptionalities from sever to mild, the typical developing, Talented and Gifted and ESL students. This gamut of experience has helped me to become the educator I am today.

Six years ago I met a student during my second practicum in a resource classroom. This student had autism and the two of us clicked. He loved Batman and loved that I could draw him. Next thing I know, the student and I are learning more about ourselves as I show him that he is capable of doing 5th grade math work and reading and comprehending chapters, and I am realizing that teaching is just a natural instinct for me. Thus, my path to become a special education teacher had truly began. However, my relationship with this student didn't come to an end. I made such an impact on this student's life, I was asked to become his respite care provider where I spent time with him everyday after school. I designed specialized curriculum that continued to increase his reading and comprehension skills, money skills (identifying change and bills, making change), and his social skills while at home and in the community.

During this time I also went on to become an instructional assistant for a several student identified with the autism spectrum disorder. I helped them to be included in the general education by providing them skills to stay organized, participate in their classes, be as independent as they wanted too, along with social skills training. This position then expanded to were I began working in the regional learning center with students with moderate to severe cases of Fragile X Syndrome, Autism, and ADHD. I implemented math programs that helped them develop their time and money skills and identify coins, dollar bills and correctly use each when making purchases. This position ended because I began my student teaching to become a general education teacher.

As a student teacher I took on the responsibilities of the head teacher, but also implement to work samples of my own design. In my kindergarten placement, I created a dinosaur and math unit where the students learned about the different dinosaurs, their characteristics and habitats, while also developing basic math skills in addition and subtraction. With a combination of music, movement, games, art projects and hands on experience, I had the kindergartens talking about becoming paleontologist going on an excavation to discover a dinosaur (which the students actually did using the excavation kits I brought in).

My second placement was in a 4th/5th grade classroom where I implemented a unit on Micro Worlds. The science unit went along perfectly with going to Outdoor school, as the students were able to use their scientific inquiry to understand more about the outdoors and the microscopic world around them. Along with my micro world unit, I also created a reading unit on Helen Keller, where the students learned about the deaf culture and how to sign American Sign Language.

Following my student teaching experience, I went back to work as an instructional assistant in an Intensive Services program for students with autism. I worked with grades 1st through 3rd in helping them with academic and social skills to be part of their general education classrooms. I helped create behavior plans and strategies the supported the students in their least restrictive environments. I also helped create a math unit, based on the second grade state standards, using a video game a student with moderate/sever autism played to help him manage his behaviors in the classroom and partake in social activities with his friends while also learning the same math material as his peers.

I am currently a substitute for a variety of Oregon school districts and Lane ESD. I have guest taught at several schools where I take on the responsibilities of the teacher in implementing the daily instruction. As of now, I am working in a transitions room with students age 18-21 with moderate to sever disabilities and helping them to obtain basic life skills for future employment and living arrangements. I am working on a cookbook for these students to use that is very visual, provides prices of food items for budgeting, and step by step picture directions for completing the recipe.

I continue to work hard in learning new ways to best support my students. I chose this profession to explore the challenge of helping others discover their fullest potential and growing to understand more of the world around them.